Work Hard - New Job Advice 1

[Maximise]

Having just begun a fantastic new job in mechanical design, I am eager to hear from you regarding experience in career advancement and also earning extra money in a new job.

New job has long term prospects
Job role is entry level/ graduate, the work is challenging and fits my disposition like a glove.

There seems to be plenty of work, very positive in the current economic climate, so some days I work 0.5-2 hours longer than my contract hours to finish off projects so that I can move onto the next. I figure the more I take on the better the service I can provide!


My 3 month probabtion is coming up in a month. There will be a performance review.


On top of any salary increase stemming from the performance review, I want to earn more money...


Would it be wise to ask if I can do weekend work on the shop floor?

During busy periods the company may need additional machining or assembling manpower.


If you were in my position, with consideration to your work/life balance and career progression, would this be a positive step...

or better to look for work elsewhere to bring in some extra cash?




Thank you, your advice is hugely appreciated as always

maximise

 

[dvd]

You might ask to get paid overtime for the extra 0.5 to 2 hours you are putting in.

 

[ctopher]

We all want to make more money, but don't let it show.
People can tell if you are in it for the money, it will have a negative impact on your position.
Do a great job, stay away from drama, be willing to learn and take on challenging projects, get along with others...the money will come.

Chris
SolidWorks 09 SP5.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[GregLocock]

But doing unpaid overtime, certainly as a junior, is a mug's game. Half an hour every once in a while, OK.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[tygerdawg]

Good for you. Work some OT if you feel like it or if it will prove to be a good investment in your career and earn you some bonus points in the eyes of the decision makers, but don't expect anyone at the management level to fund your private ambitions like this. It's very unlikely they would support this, and then the damage to your image is irreparable. Work hard but learn to work smart; adapt to the corporate culture (within reason); polish your skill set and constantly pursue new ones; learn those essential-for-career-growth 'soft' skills; make some money; make some contacts within/without your company; start funding your retirement; learn to invest and learn how to invest wisely.

Don't be naive and think your current position that fits like a glove will last forever. If you want to make more money, start building your path to either after-hours freelancing or starting your own business.

We all expect the rosey scenario but sometimes bad things happen...
...the company may collapse under your feet.
...the company may get purchased by another company, and a variety of intolerable things happen.
...your "best boss ever" departs and you have to start working for Satan.
...the economy tanks and you walk in one day to discover that your dream job just laid you off.
...you've mastered your skill set and want to expand, but there's no growth path at your company.
...life happens to you in an unpleasant personal way.



TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[Guest0527211403]

Working (excessive) overtime for the management can backfire on you, as some have alluded to here. Some managers start to think that it's the norm for you to put in long hours, and when something comes up ("life" from tygerdawg's last point) and you can't work the OT, they start to question your loyalty. Note, I'm referring to *some* managers.. certainly not all.

I've found that I have much better success when I offer a half hour to an hour of my after-5 time to one of my more senior colleagues who could use a hand. Sometimes this involves updating redlined drawings, other times it involves purely mechanical work like soldering connectors to cables. In any event, if you are a useful and cooperative team member to the senior engineers, the management will notice and more responsibilities (and eventually more pay) will follow.

Try not to focus on more money at your 3 month review. I'm still paying off my student loan so I know how you feel, but long term career gains are far more valuable than short term monetary gains.

 

[oldfieldguy]

"Working" on the shop floor might not be exactly the idea you need. Since you're in design, showing up on the shop floor to see how designs affect assembly and functionality might be a better idea.

Interacting (carefully... tactfully...) with workers on the shop floor may build some helpful relationships.

old field guy

 

[materialsliz]

I work with a couple people who are ski instructors on the weekends during the winter, some are landlords, some fix small machines, a few others help with a family business. All of them bring in extra cash and enjoy their weekends away from work.

 

[TheTick]

You are building the foundation of your career. Build it well.

Put some of your energy into soft skills. Observe how people around you work and interact. Maybe even experiment a little (in the nicest possible ways).

I noticed thqat new girl in accounts receivable looking at you. Maybe take her to lunch.

 

[ShaggyPE]

I noticed thqat new girl in accounts receivable looking at you. Maybe take her to lunch.

Not too sure about that one... if you want to keep your job. Tread lightly when "fishing off the company pier."

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Pretty good with SolidWorks

 

[KENAT]

At my first employer putting in the extra effort worked out pretty well for me with some nice big pay raises, a nice bonus in lieu of overtime (which their procedures/policies/shop floor union agreements... didn't allow for salaried staff), and eventually actual paid overtime once they amended their rules. Oh, I also got a bunch of extra responsibility and was offered a big promotion which I turned down because I knew I didn't know enough to do it - still got a decent pay raise that year though and when I left them to move to the states they kept me on the books for several months doing a hand over and then let me do free lance stuff for them. I would have done it longer but ITAR or similar became an issue. That said, it took about 18 months for some of this to happen, at that point I was getting a bit disgruntled.

My current employer, while I've got some reward for it - such as still having my job - overall I'm not sure it's paid off which is why I don't do it much anymore.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

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(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[tickle]

I am confused about my own position on the overtime issues.

On one side, engineers are professionals and we should not be clock watching and adopting trade union attitudes downing tools and being ready to walk out of the factory gat at 5 on the dot, making sure that we cr@p on company time, etc.

On the other side, putting in overtime benefits someone, particularly if you are a consultant and the client gets a whole load of free work.

My "current" position is to do what it takes to get the work done. This involves occassional overtime, mostly unpaid. This is the expectation of the company at my level. I believe that I am acting professionally and I get treated like a professional (industry dinners, client entertainment, key to the executive toilet!!). The client does not benefit by this because I spend enough of my time doing tasks that cannont be charged to the client.

PS I am still waiting for the key to the executive bathroom.

 

[TheTick]

I stopped working overtime when it stopped paying off.

 

[moltenmetal]

A few hours here and there to get an assignment done on time, to learn something new about something that fascinates you, or to help out a colleague- these are all part of being a professional. By the way, so is taking the afternoon off every once in a while to play golf with a customer or a vendor etc.- this is a two-way street.

Volunteering for a profitable organization is foolish. Any self sacrifice you make on behalf of your company will be accepted: seldom compensated, or appreciated, or even NOTICED, but certainly accepted!

Volunteering for an unprofitable organization with no pre-arranged up-side when things turn around, other than the possible continuance of your salary, is also foolish.

Giving un-billed hours away to your employers' clients is total idiocy: that doesn't even benefit your own employer! If you think you're buying them "goodwill" with your efforts, think again.

Doing extra work for extra compensation, whether that be in the form of a bonus, profit-sharing or overtime pay- that's totally fine, provided your employer actually needs this help. Providing your employer flexibility by working extra hours now for time in lieu later- that's good too, provided that you either get to actually take the time in lieu or are paid for it later.

Lacking things to do in the evening? There are PLENTY of worthy organizations that are dying for your volunteer efforts- and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you're actually helping people who need the help, rather than share-holders who already probably have plenty already.

Start your career out on the right foot: VALUE your own services, and those of your fellow engineers, or you can be certain that nobody else will.

Want to earn extra money? Strive to do an excellent job and prove your value. Know what your efforts earn for your employer- spend a little time calculating that. Know the value of your services in the marketplace.

 

[KENAT]

Sorry, but there are very few black & white situations and lots of gray. Something that is idiocy in one situation makes a lot of sense in another.

For example,

"Giving un-billed hours away to your employers' clients is total idiocy: that doesn't even benefit your own employer! If you think you're buying them "goodwill" with your efforts, think again."

I never worked anywhere that was hung up on 'billable hours' since we usually bid tasks not a certain number of hours. However, did have a situation where we had limited coverage for phase 1 of a project, but the funding for later phases was dragging out. I 'stretched' the budget of phase 1 to at least partially fill the gap and get some critical items done to stop the overall project going completely off track. This was not unappreciated by the customer, it generated a lot of good will, which led to them being a bit more 'generous' on the rest of the coverage. So, it worked out for everyone, me, my employer and the customer.

Oh, and if I have to play golf with anyone then I'm not that interested in being a professional;-).

Posting guidelines faq731-376

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[moltenmetal]

KENAT, what you're talking about is making a business decision, not what you put on your timesheet.

A business might choose to "write down" hours rather than bill them, to please a customer. The business may decide to "bank" hours on phase 1 in the hope of winning phase 2 etc. But as a business, we want to know the ACTUAL number of hours we spent doing the entirety of the work, so when we bid the next one we don't under-bid it!

A senior engineer might do that kind of thing directly, not involving management, and do so with confidence, knowing the business situation and knowing the client. A junior engineer such as the OP who does that is VERY likely wasting their time. As a project manager, I want to at least know about those sorts of decisions on the part of my staff so I can assist them in making good decisions.

 

[KENAT]

It affected what I put on my timesheet too. I'd do small 'fudges' off my own back when still pretty junior. Of course, I was usually involved in bidding the work too so was able to give input for the next bid.

However, you're right that this might not be the best way to start out at a new job.

However, I still think there are more shades of gray than you seem to propose.

The important thing is to make sure you come out ahead.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[moon161]

If you're hourly, not marking work on your time card can burn the employer. An ethical HR or manager should not abide it. If you're salaried, the expectation of OT usually varies with your position & responsibility and profitability of the company or at least your unit. If their not counting sheets of toilet paper in the bathroom or they pick up the tab for the coffee machine, they probably won't come for squeeze or overwork you. Call centers are notorious for getting unpaid time out of you- turning on your computer, entering your time, etc.

I would strive to complete your work well and within the nominal working day. If you boss expects you to work over now, imagine their expectation for a big crunch time.

Having a second way to make money is a good idea- flip cars if you can work on them, etc. The job market still sucks, and so does getting by on unemployment.